Houston landed Dwight Howard, the big prize in NBA free agency. The Los Angeles Clippers lured Doc Rivers, among the league’s top five coaches. And what did Denver get? A kick in the teeth from Andre Iguodala, who bolted for Golden State.

So here’s the blunt question: Did the Nuggets take a step back?

“Did we take a step back? I don’t know,” Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said Thursday. “It remains to be seen. But we’re trying to build this team for the long haul.”

Was Iguodala a rat jumping off a sinking ship?

Well, let’s clear up a misconception. The primary reason Iguodala departed the Nuggets was not because he thought Golden State had a brighter future or that he was upset because Kroenke fired coach George Karl or he missed the deft touch in negotiations of former general manager Masai Ujiri.

No, the top three reasons Iguodala departed were what it usually comes down to in the NBA: money, money, money.

With Denver management steadfastly refusing to hinder its ability to retain when point guard Ty Lawson becomes a free agent in 2017 or forward Danilo Gallinari’s contract expires in 2016, the terms of the fifth year in the contract proposal to Iguodala became such a sore point of contention it soured negotiations.

As a result, Iguodala surprised the Nuggets by opting for a four-year, $48 million deal with Golden State.

“There are always surprises,” Kroenke said. “Did we want (Iguodala) back? 100 percent. I think Andre is going to do great. I wish him nothing but the best in Golden State. The fifth year of the contract became a sticking point. … Ultimately he chose to go somewhere else for less money.”

Right or wrong, what the Nuggets made clear as contract negotiations with the 29-year-old gold medalist unraveled is the team believes its core to be Lawson, Gallinari and Kenneth Faried. Iguodala was on the second tier. The realization must have been such a tough pill for Iguodala to swallow that he found playing second fiddle to Golden State star Stephen Curry more palatable.

Will the Nuggets miss Iguodala in the short term? Kroenke knows the answer is probably yes.

“Are we going to win 57 games next season? We’ve got our work cut out for us. As of right now, at the start of the season, we’re going to be down three starters from last year. We’ll be down Iguodala, we’ll be down Gallinari, and we’ll be down (Kosta) Koufos,” Kroenke said.

“Do I believe in the moves that we’ve made will make us better in the long term? Yes, 100 percent. But, realistically, we’ve gotten younger in the last couple weeks. And, for some of those guys, there’s going to be a growth curve. At the end of the day, we’ve got a talented, young team. I’m not scared about the guys we have.”

Summer power rankings don’t count for much. But they’re fun. So here goes:

1) Los Angeles Clippers: With Rivers sitting on a bench that made smart additions, the Lakers are L.A.’s other team.

4) San Antonio: Yes, Tim Duncan is 37 years old, but he also is the greatest player of his generation.

5) Memphis: The team Karl wishes he could be coaching.

6) Denver: How’s 49-33 sound as an early guess for team’s record?

7) Golden State: Andrew Bogut and Curry are both made of tissue paper.

8) Minnesota: How long can Flip Saunders keep Kevin Love happy?

“Where do I think we stand in the West? That’s tough to say,” said Kroenke, before issuing a small piece of advice: Don’t jump to conclusions about the conference’s new power structure.

“After the Lakers made the trade for Dwight Howard last summer, everybody immediately declared them Western Conference champions. People will think what they will about all these big moves in the league this year. But, at the end of the day, you still have to play the games.”

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